Last Friday, Premier David Eby was sworn in as the 37th Premier of British Columbia at the Musqueam Community Centre in Vancouver.
He reiterated his priorities of public safety, affordability, and health care. To that end, he will be making a public safety announcement on Sunday, and introducing legislation on housing on Monday, which he characterized as – in part – as opening up housing that should be available to renting but is not.
He also today announced details of two affordability measures: the BC Affordability Credit, and details on a previously announced BC Hydro credit.
Arriving in early January 2023, the BC Affordability Credit will provide as much as an additional $164 per adult, $41 per child, and as much as $410 per family with two children earning $43,051, with a sliding scale of credits for eligible families earning as much as $150,051. An eligible person with an income up to $36,901 will receive the maximum credit with the credit phasing out at $79,376. The credit will be automatically received through the Canada Revenue Agency.
The BC Hydro credit will be a $100 credit for residents. For small and medium businesses, which the news release described as “such as restaurants and tourism operators” it will be a one-time credit of an average of $500, based on consumption last year. It includes those who receive their electricity service from FortisBC or a municipal entity. BC Hydro customers can expect this to be applied in December, and others in early 2023.
Here are more details on the cost-of-living credits: https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2022EMLI0064-001735